Media picks Alabama ... which may make Crimson Tide cringe
Thursday, July 18, 2013 | Football, Chris Harry
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- The votes are in at Southeastern Conference Media Days and to no one's surprise two-time reigning national champion Alabama was the runaway pick to win the 2013 league crown.
For background on the voting (and past voting), however, may be something of a surprise.
The Florida Gators, after going 11-2 and being one of two SEC programs to claim a BCS bid last season, were voted third-place in the East Division (behind Georgia and South Carolina) and received zero championship-winning votes.
Here's the breakdown:
1. Alabama (182)
2. Georgia (38)
3. South Carolina (18)
4. Texas A&M (5)
5. LSU (1)
So what does it all mean?
Nothing.
Yes, the Crimson Tide have a great chance to Roll Tide to another championship -- both in Atlanta and beyond -- but if Bama does manage to raise another banner in the Georgia Dome it'll be just the fifth champ since the SEC expanded and adopted the title-game format in 1992 to be accurately picked by the press at the conference annual Media Days.
Yes, the media (and I took part in voting for eight of those polls in the 1990s) has batted just 4-for-21 -- that's .190 -- when it comes to picking the champion the last 21 years.
Or as Alabama coach Nick Saban put it Thursday, “If I was 4-17, I'd be back in West Virginia pumping gas at my daddy's station.”
Tremendous.
Anyway, check it out:
YEAR PICK HOW FARED EVENTUAL CHAMP
1992 Florida Lost in SEC title game Alabama
1993 Alabama Lost in SEC title game Florida
1994 Florida SEC champion Florida
1995 Florida SEC champion Florida
1996 Tennessee 2nd in East Florida
1997 Florida T-2nd in East Tennessee
1998 Florida 2nd in East Tennessee
1999 Tennessee 2nd in East Alabama
2000 Alabama T-5th in West Florida
2001 Florida 2nd in East LSU
2002 Tennessee 3rd in East Georgia
2003 Auburn 3rd in West LSU
2004 Georgia 2nd in East Auburn
2005 Tennessee 5th in East Georgia
2006 Auburn T-2nd in West Florida
2007 LSU SEC Champion LSU
2008 Florida SEC Champion Florida
2009 Florida Lost in SEC title game Alabama
2010 Alabama 4th in West Auburn
2011 Alabama 2nd in West LSU
2012 LSU T-2nd in West Alabama
2013 Alabama ????? ?????
